Redress commission grows to nine; mixed heritage and JACL profiles

Vol. 92, No. 5, February 6, 1981. 12 pages. View this issue

Redress led the news. Congress passed legislation expanding the Presidential Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians from seven to nine members, and the JACL National Commission on Redress, chaired by John Tateishi, explained how members could present testimony. A design call for a Tanforan monument, tied to a Day of Remembrance ceremony, ran beside it. In commentary, Clifford I. Uyeda wrote on the medical consequences of nuclear war, and Sachi Seko recalled her grandfather’s warning during the World War II incarceration (often called internment) that Japanese Americans would be used as hostages.

Christine C. Hall wrote about growing up Black and Japanese in a two-part in-depth feature. Bill Hosokawa and Bill Marutani had columns, and pages 8 to 10 profiled JACL committee chairpersons and explained youth programs. Also inside: the opening of Pacific Heritage Bank in Torrance, chapter installation news, and a report that JACL membership slipped 3% to 29,191.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• Redress Commission Expanded to Nine, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Congress passed legislation expanding the Presidential Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians from 7 to 9 members, with the Senate and House each appointing three members. Senate appointees so far include former Senators Edward Brooke and Hugh Mitchell, joining previously appointed members Judge William Marutani, Dr. Arthur Flemming, and Joan Bernstein.
• If You Wish to Address the Commission…, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL National Commission on Redress, chaired by John Tateishi, will help members and community individuals present testimony before the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians. Individuals may submit written testimony or contact their district representative to be placed on the witness agenda.
• Design Sought for Tanforan Monument, page 1. The Tanforan Committee is seeking designs for a monument to hold a historical plaque commemorating the Tanforan Racetrack, used in 1942 as a temporary detention center for Japanese Americans. Designs are due by Feb. 18 and the plaque will be dedicated in conjunction with a Day of Remembrance ceremony.

National

• Reagan Team Challenges U.S. Job Action for Blacks, Hispanics, page 1. The Reagan transition team filed a brief challenging a federal plan to phase out the Professional and Administrative Career Examination over concerns it discriminated against Black and Hispanic job candidates. The brief questioned whether minority applicants failed PACE for reasons unrelated to minority status and whether PACE was truly flawed as alleged.
• Japan Firm in U.S. Sued for Sex Bias in Hiring, page 1. A U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that a sex discrimination suit against Sumitomo Shoji America Inc. must go to trial despite the company’s claims of special rights under a 1953 treaty. Secretaries charged the Japanese-owned subsidiary had a policy of hiring only male Japanese nationals for management jobs, and the court upheld that the case should proceed to determine if the hiring policy was valid under treaty provisions.

Community

• Nisei Jurist in Brazil Not Wanted, page 1. Judge Masami Uyeda was declared persona non grata by a Brazilian town council after he humiliated a local baker by having him hauled from bed to apologize for selling bad cream cakes. Townspeople said Uyeda had been arrogant and demanding, while the baker denied the cakes were bad and said the judge’s wife had failed to refrigerate them.
• Community Notices: Weddings, Appointments and Community Milestones, page 2. Brief community items cover various Nikkei individuals including a Tokyo District Court judge selected for study at the National Judicial College, education board appointees, and several individuals receiving government appointments including Mary Miyashita’s confirmation as acting secretary of state and Patsy Tom’s election as chairperson of the Asian Pacific Caucus. Also noted are several professional achievements and community service recognitions.
• New Nikkei-Backed Bank in L.A. Opens, page 2. Pacific Heritage Bank, the first Nisei-controlled bank to open in more than two decades, began operations with $3.5 million in initial capitalization at Del Amo Park Plaza in Torrance. The bank’s board includes several prominent Nikkei community members committed to serving Japanese American business interests.
• Chapter News Briefs: French Camp, Manteca, Merced and More, page 9. Various JACL chapters report on installation dinners, officer elections, and guest speakers including French Camp-Manteca’s joint New Year’s event and Merced JACL’s planning meeting featuring speaker Jean Narita discussing a trip to China. Additional notices cover Sacramento JACL’s crab dinner, Riverside JACL installation, and the new Southeast Cultural JACL chapter’s enrollment meeting in Norwalk.
• Selanoco JACL Installation Dinner Draws Close to 200, page 9. Selanoco JACL held its installation dinner with young actor Clyde Kusatsu as guest speaker, who discussed his career and credited his parents for instilling character and respect for people. Terrence Nishizu was installed as the new chapter president, succeeding Hiroshi Kamei, with certificates of appreciation presented to several longtime chapter volunteers.
• Marin County’s 1981 Cabinet Installed, page 10. Members of the Marin County JACL Board for 1981 were sworn in on Dec. 7 at Dominic Restaurant in San Rafael. Hiroshi Ito was installed as president along with a full slate of officers and board members.
• Hideo Date Sought, page 11. Roy Matsumura of Japan Printing Company is seeking the whereabouts of artist Hideo Date, who was prominent at the Heart Mountain War Relocation Center in 1944. Matsumura can be contacted at his Gardena business for information.

Commentary

• The Medical Consequences of Nuclear War, by Clifford I. Uyeda, page 1. Uyeda describes the devastating medical and societal consequences of nuclear war, drawing on his visit to the Atom Bomb Casualty Commission clinic in Hiroshima and recent medical symposiums. He details the limited medical capacity to handle nuclear war casualties, radiation effects on humans, and argues that civil defense is futile and public awareness is essential to prevent nuclear war.
• How Hawaii’s Sansei View Los Angeles, by Peter Imamura, page 3. The author explores how Sansei from Hawaii perceive mainland life, including views on job competition, friendliness, crime, racial prejudice, and environmental factors like beaches and smog in Los Angeles. While many locals view the mainland negatively, they acknowledge greater educational and career opportunities exist there compared to Hawaii.
• The Medical Consequences of Nuclear War (continued), by Clifford I. Uyeda, page 3. This continuation details the physics and biological effects of nuclear explosions, including blast effects, radiation sickness, and long-term genetic damage observed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki survivors. Uyeda argues that the nuclear arms race is economically damaging and that preventing nuclear war requires a fundamental shift in how we think about security and mutual understanding between nations.
• Heart of JACL, by Cherry Kinoshita, page 4. Kinoshita emphasizes the importance of individual commitment and volunteer participation in JACL, introducing profiles of dedicated JACL national committee chairpersons. The column begins a series introducing volunteers like Lillian C. Kimura who have served the organization for decades.
• Letterbox: Texas Internee Camps, page 4. A reader researching a master’s thesis on Nisei women seeks to contact women who were detained at Seagoville and Crystal City, Texas internment facilities. The letter notes this part of the relocation story is little known despite being part of the broader internment narrative.
• Letterbox: Rape and Race Prejudice Response, by Chizuko Crocker, page 4. Crocker offers a detailed counter-argument to Professor Iga’s claim that Japanese women’s lack of self-respect caused widespread rape during the American occupation of Japan. Drawing on personal eyewitness experience, she argues rape is an act of violence motivated by conquest and hate, not related to women’s character, citing numerous documented incidents of occupation force misconduct.
• Letterbox: JVP Mural Tribute to David Hyun, by Paul Tsuneishi, page 4. Tsuneishi praises architect and developer David Hyun for his contribution to the ceramic mural at Japanese Village Plaza in Little Tokyo, which received a national honor award from HUD. The Pacific Southwest District Council passed a resolution recognizing Hyun’s support of tenants and small shopkeepers in the redevelopment area.
• From Happy Valley: Hostages in Our Own Country, by Sachi Seko, page 4. Seko recalls her grandfather’s prescient warning during their forced relocation to Tulare Assembly Center that Japanese Americans would be used as hostages, a claim she initially rejected due to her faith in America. She connects this memory to the 1981 release of American hostages from Iran and reflects on the painful confirmation of her grandfather’s words through Michi Weglyn’s research on wartime internment.
• From the Frying Pan: Stamp ‘Enemy Country Surrenders’, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa recounts the story of Zeke Scher, a WWII soldier assigned to Allied intelligence in occupied Japan who received unusual Japanese postage stamps marked ‘Enemy Country Surrenders’ from a nervous postal official. The column speculates these may have been ‘victory’ stamps hidden by Japanese postal officials and surrendered when Scher was mistaken for an important American representative.
• East Wind: ‘Plantation’ Mentality?, by Bill Marutani, page 5. Marutani recounts a JACL meeting exchange with a Nisei farmer named Nakamura who expressed reluctance to act on principles of justice for fear of offending hakujin friends. Marutani argues that Nisei should act on morally right causes without needing approval from a particular segment of the citizenry, challenging what he terms a ‘plantation mentality.’
• Letterbox: Hostages Comparison and WWII Internment, by Elwin Suyama, M.D., page 5. The writer reflects on the 444-day Iran hostage crisis and contrasts the triumphant media coverage with the quiet announcement ending Japanese American internment in 1944. He references the term ‘hostages’ as historically accurate for describing internees and recommends further reading on the subject.
• What Am I Getting for My Membership?, by Karen Nakashima, page 10. A young reader questions JACL’s National Youth Director about the value and purpose of JACL membership for young people, expressing skepticism about joining an organization without understanding its benefits. She challenges the director to provide concrete reasons why youth should participate rather than simply joining because others expect it.

JACL

• JACL Invited to NEA Civil Rights Conference, page 1. National JACL was invited to participate in the National Education Association Conference on Human and Civil Rights Education in Washington. The JACL Washington Office will speak on ‘Minority/Non-Minority Perspective of Social Change, 1945-2000’ and is seeking community comments on the topic by Feb. 22.
• National JACL Committee Chair Profiles: Yasui, Ishimoto, Okura, Tsuneishi, Okamoto, by P.C. Staff, page 8. This continuing feature profiles several National JACL committee chairpersons including Dr. Homer Yasui (Recognitions & Awards), Norman Ishimoto (Employment Discrimination), Pat Okura (Satow Memorial), Paul Tsuneishi (A-Bomb Survivors), and Herbert Okamoto (Personnel), detailing their professional backgrounds and community service. Each profile covers their education, career, military service where applicable, and extensive volunteer contributions to JACL and the broader community.
• Downtown L.A. to Host PSW Quarterly, page 8. Downtown L.A. JACL will host the first quarterly Pacific Southwest District Council meeting on Sunday, Feb. 15. The meeting will address issues relevant to the district’s substantial membership.
• Fremont JACL Hosting NC-WNPDC Meet, page 8. Fremont JACL will host the Northern California-Western Nevada-Pacific District Council’s quarterly meeting on Sunday, Feb. 15 at 9 a.m. The chapter will serve as host for the district gathering.
• Seattle JACL Inaugural Dinner Set, page 9. Seattle JACL rescheduled its 1981 installation banquet to Feb. 15 to accommodate Congressman Mike Lowry as featured speaker discussing issues vital to Japanese Americans. The event will be held at the Butcher Restaurant with 500 attendees expected and Helen Akita serving as installation chair.
• National Youth Director Responds: JACL Youth Programs Explained, by Bruce K. Shimizu, page 10. JACL National Youth Director Bruce Shimizu responds extensively to a young member’s question about the value of JACL membership, detailing numerous youth programs including the National Youth Conference, scholarship programs, Japan youth tours, track meets, and the Presidential Classroom program. He also describes future initiatives including youth hostels, internships, foreign exchange programs, and employment services designed to engage young JACL members.
• JACL Membership Slips 3% to 29,000, page 11. JACL membership figures for 1980 totaled 29,191, a 3% drop from 1979’s year-end total of 30,036, continuing a decline since the 1977 high of 31,620. However, 36 chapters surpassed their 1979 totals and five new chapters were added, including Golden Gate, Honolulu, Japan, Lake Washington and South East Cultural.

In-Depth

• Growing Up Black-Japanese: My Parents Taught Us How to Survive, by Christine C. Hall, page 6. Hall, a Black-Japanese counseling psychologist, writes about her parents’ experiences as a Japanese war bride and Black serviceman couple facing discrimination from both Japanese and American societies after WWII. She explores her own identity struggles growing up biracial, facing rejection from both Black and Japanese communities, and her eventual acceptance of her multicultural identity as neither purely Black nor Japanese but something unique.
• 24,000 ‘Shosha’ Children in U.S. ‘More American’, page 6. Japanese children raised abroad due to their businessmen fathers’ overseas assignments face significant challenges readjusting to Japanese schools and language upon returning home. The Japanese Ministry of Education has created special schools to help these approximately 24,000 returnee students, though experts warn against pushing complete assimilation at the expense of valuing their unique international experiences.
• My Dad Was Black, My Mom Was Japanese (continued), by Christine C. Hall, page 7. Hall continues her narrative describing her teenage years in racially mixed San Pedro, California, where she struggled to fit into Black, Chicano, and Japanese social circles while facing institutional pressure to choose a single racial identity on forms and applications. She discusses the broader need for a multicultural/multiracial movement and better representation for mixed-race individuals in media, census forms, and society.

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